Molson Indy Vancouver

Molson Indy Vancouver

IndyCar / CART / Champ Car
Location	Concord Pacific Place, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada 49°16′34″N123°6′24″W / 49.27611°N 123.10667°W / 49.27611; -123.10667
Corporate sponsor	Molson
First race	1990
Last race	2004
Most wins (driver)	Al Unser Jr. (4)
Most wins (team)	Newman/Haas Racing (3) Team Green (3)
Most wins (manufacturer)	Chassis: Lola (7) Engine: Ford-Cosworth (4) Honda (4)
Circuit information
Surface	Asphalt/Concrete
Length	2.865 km (1.780 mi)
Turns	15

Vancouver Street Circuit

Vancouver Street Circuit (1999–2004)
Location	Concord Pacific Place, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Time zone	UTC-07:00
Coordinates	49°16′34″N123°6′24″W / 49.27611°N 123.10667°W / 49.27611; -123.10667
Opened	30 August 1990;34 years ago (1990-08-30)
Closed	25 July 2004;20 years ago (2004-07-25)
Major events	Former: CART Molson Indy Vancouver (1990–2004) Atlantic Championship (1990–1999, 2001, 2004) CASCAR Super Series (2001–2004) Barber Pro Series (2000–2003) Indy Lights (1990, 1992–1998, 2000) Trans-Am Series (1999) SpeedVision World Challenge (1999) North American Touring Car Championship (1996–1997)
Street Circuit (1999–2004)
Length	2.865 km (1.780 miles)
Turns	14
Race lap record	1:01.538 ( Juan Pablo Montoya, Lola B2K/00, 2000, CART)
Street Circuit (1998)
Length	2.866 km (1.781 miles)
Turns	14
Race lap record	1:06.939 ( Hélio Castroneves, Reynard 98I, 1998, CART)
Street Circuit (1994–1997)
Length	2.660 km (1.653 miles)
Turns	16
Race lap record	0:55.136 ( Alex Zanardi, Reynard 97I, 1997, CART)
Street Circuit (1991–1993)
Length	2.699 km (1.677 miles)
Turns	16
Race lap record	0:59.513 ( Bryan Herta, Lola T94/00, 1993, Indy Lights)
Street Circuit (1990)
Length	2.740 km (1.704 miles)
Turns	17
Race lap record	1:10.599 ( Mark Dismore, Swift DB4, 1990, Formula Atlantic)

Molson Indy Vancouver was an annual Champ Car race held in the Vancouver Street Circuit near BC Place and running past Science World in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada held in July, August or September from 1990 to 2004.

On September 2, 1990, the first race took place on the original circuit, which was won by Al Unser Jr. From 1998, a new circuit was created to the east of the old Pacific Place, where only a small part of the original circuit was used. The circuit was popular with drivers and often produced an entertaining race. For most of its fifteen years, the Vancouver Indy attracted in excess of 100,000 spectators over the course of its weekends, and in 1996 held the Canadian single-day sporting event attendance record until it was beaten by the Formula 1 Canadian Grand Prix in Montreal that year. ^[1] The final event in 2004 had race day attendance of 63,000 with a total three day turnout of 158,420 spectators. ^[2] However, from 2004, Vancouver was left off the Champ Car fixture list.

In July 2021 it was announced a new race for the electric-powered FIA Formula E World Championship, the Vancouver ePrix would be run on the reconfigured 2.21 km (1.37 mi) track on the same site. ^{[3] [4]} However on 18 June 2022, it was announced that the race contract was terminated. ^[5]

Controversy and cancellation

For much of its time in Vancouver, the Molson Indy was a source of considerable local controversy, as local residents complained of the noise and disruption caused by this major event. As the lands of the former Expo 86 site were developed into the billion-dollar condominium development by Concord Pacific, debates raged over whether the Indy made Vancouver a "world-class city" or an "urban nightmare." Such debates were chronicled by Mark Douglas Lowes in his 2002 book, Indy Dreams and Urban Nightmares: Speed Merchants, Spectacle, and the Struggle over Public Space in the World-Class City. ^[6]

The official explanation for the cancellation came from Jo-Ann McArthur, president of sponsoring Molson Sports and Entertainment, who stated that "the bottom line is the business model couldn't work". ^[7] The race had just two seasons left in the city, due to the impending construction of the Olympic Village for the 2010 Winter Olympics on the south end of the course. She stated that the lack of a long-term commitment to holding the event made it difficult to attract sponsors to continue the race. ^[8]

Following the cancellation, Champ Car continued to race in the Canadian cities of Toronto, Montreal and Edmonton as part of the 2005 season.

Layout history

• 
  Vancouver Street Circuit (1990–1997)
• 
  Vancouver Street Circuit (1998)
• 
  Vancouver Street Circuit (1999–2004), which removed the chicane at the old Turn 7 and added a chicane at Turn 13

CART/Champ Car race winners

Season	Driver	Chassis	Engine	Team	Report	Ref
1990	Al Unser Jr.	Lola	Chevrolet	Galles-KRACO Racing	Report	[9]
1991	Michael Andretti	Lola	Chevrolet	Newman/Haas Racing	Report	[10]
1992	Michael Andretti	Lola	Ford-Cosworth	Newman/Haas Racing	Report	[11]
1993	Al Unser Jr.	Lola	Chevrolet	Galles Racing	Report	[12]
1994	Al Unser Jr.	Penske	Ilmor	Marlboro Team Penske	Report	[13]
1995	Al Unser Jr.	Penske	Mercedes-Ilmor	Marlboro Team Penske	Report	[14]
1996	Michael Andretti	Lola	Ford-Cosworth	Newman/Haas Racing	Report	[15]
1997	Maurício Gugelmin	Reynard	Mercedes-Benz	PacWest Racing	Report	[16]
1998	Dario Franchitti	Reynard	Honda	Team KOOL Green	Report	[17]
1999	Juan Pablo Montoya	Reynard	Honda	Target Chip Ganassi Racing	Report	[18]
2000	Paul Tracy	Reynard	Honda	Team KOOL Green	Report	[19]
2001	Roberto Moreno	Reynard	Toyota	Patrick Racing	Report	[20]
2002	Dario Franchitti	Lola	Honda	Team KOOL Green	Report	[21]
2003	Paul Tracy	Lola	Ford-Cosworth	Team Player's	Report	[22]
2004	Paul Tracy	Lola	Ford-Cosworth	Forsythe Championship Racing	Report	[23]

Indy Lights/Atlantic winners

Indy Lights Season Winning Driver 1990 Vinicio Salmi 1991 Not held 1992 Mark Smith 1993 Bryan Herta 1994 André Ribeiro 1995 Pedro Chaves 1996 Claude Bourbonnais 1997 Cristiano da Matta 1998 Cristiano da Matta 1999 Not held 2000 Scott Dixon

Atlantic Championship Season Winning Driver 1990 Claude Bourbonnais 1991 Stéphane Proulx 1992 Patrick Carpentier 1993 Claude Bourbonnais 1994 David Empringham 1995 David Empringham 1996 Patrick Carpentier 1997 Memo Gidley 1998 Andrew Bordin 1999 Will Langhorne 2000 Not held 2001 Joey Hand 2002 2003 Not held 2004 Ryan Dalziel

Lap records

The fastest official race lap records at Molson Indy Vancouver are listed as:

Category	Time	Driver	Vehicle	Event
Street Circuit: 2.865 km (1999–2004) [24]
CART	1:01.538 [25]	Juan Pablo Montoya	Lola B2K/00	2000 Molson Indy Vancouver
Indy Lights	1:07.439 [26]	Scott Dixon	Lola T97/20	2000 Vancouver Indy Lights round
Formula Atlantic	1:09.214 [27]	Jon Fogarty	Swift 014.a	2004 Vancouver Formula Atlantic round
Barber Pro	1:14.675 [28]	Leonardo Maia	Reynard 98E	2003 Vancouver Barber Pro round
Street Circuit: 2.866 km (1998) [24]
CART	1:06.939	Hélio Castroneves	Reynard 98I	1998 Molson Indy Vancouver
Indy Lights	1:10.995 [29]	Cristiano da Matta	Lola T97/20	1998 Vancouver Indy Lights round
Formula Atlantic	1:15.386 [30]	Rino Mastronardi	Swift 008.a	1998 Vancouver Formula Atlantic round
Street Circuit: 2.660 km (1994–1997) [24]
CART	0:55.136	Alex Zanardi	Reynard 97I	1997 Molson Indy Vancouver
Indy Lights	1:00.653 [31]	Eddie Lawson	Lola T93/20	1994 Vancouver Indy Lights round
Formula Atlantic	1:03.981 [32]	Richie Hearn	Ralt RT41	1994 Vancouver Formula Atlantic round
Super Touring	1:10.414 [33]	David Donohue	Dodge Stratus	1997 Vancouver NATCC round
Street Circuit: 2.699 km (1991–1993) [24]
Indy Lights	0:59.513 [34]	Bryan Herta	Lola T93/20	1993 Vancouver Indy Lights round
Formula Atlantic	1:02.053 [35]	Jamie Galles	Ralt RT40	1993 Vancouver Formula Atlantic round
Original Street Circuit: 2.740 km (1990) [24]
Formula Atlantic	1:10.599 [36]	Mark Dismore	Swift DB4	1990 Vancouver Formula Atlantic round

External links

• Champ Car Stats
• Ultimate Racing History

References

1. Charters, David A. (2007). The Chequered Past: Sports Car Racing & Rallying in Canada, 1951-1991. University of Toronto Press. p. 240. ISBN   978-0-8020-9394-3.
2. Sabine, Alex (2005). Autocourse Official Champ Car Yearbook 2004–2005. Crash Media Group Press. pp. 110–113. ISBN   978-1905334001.
3. "SEASON 8 CALENDAR: Cape Town, Vancouver and Seoul feature on most expansive Formula E schedule yet". FIA Formula E . 8 July 2021. Retrieved 8 July 2021.
4. "Canadian E-Fest Formula E Overview". Archived from the original on 7 January 2022. Retrieved 6 November 2024.
5. "Formula E nixes 2023 Vancouver race, cuts ties with local organizers". 18 June 2022. Retrieved 19 June 2022.
6. Lowes, Mark Douglas (2002). Indy Dreams and Urban Nightmares . Toronto: University of Toronto Press. pp.  148. ISBN   978-0-8020-8498-9. Indy Dreams and Urban Nightmares: Speed Merchants, Spectacle, and the Struggle over Public Space in the World-Class City.
7. "Molson ends Indy-car race in Vancouver". The Seattle Times . November 19, 2004. Archived from the original on 1 October 2012. Retrieved 12 February 2011.
8. "Vancouver Molson Indy cancelled". CBC News . Toronto. November 18, 2004. Retrieved October 10, 2017.
9. "1990 Molson Indy Vancouver". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved November 28, 2023.
10. "1991 Molson Indy Vancouver". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved November 28, 2023.
11. "1992 Molson Indy Vancouver". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved November 28, 2023.
12. "1993 Molson Indy Vancouver". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved November 28, 2023.
13. "1994 Molson Indy Vancouver". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved November 28, 2023.
14. "1995 Molson Indy Vancouver". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved November 28, 2023.
15. "1996 Molson Indy Vancouver". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved November 28, 2023.
16. "1997 Molson Indy Vancouver". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved November 28, 2023.
17. "1998 Molson Indy Vancouver". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved November 28, 2023.
18. "1999 Molson Indy Vancouver". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved November 28, 2023.
19. "2000 Molson Indy Vancouver". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved November 28, 2023.
20. "2001 Molson Indy Vancouver". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved November 28, 2023.
21. "2002 Molson Indy Vancouver". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved November 28, 2023.
22. "2003 Molson Indy Vancouver". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved November 28, 2023.
23. "2004 Molson Indy Vancouver". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved November 28, 2023.
24. "Vancouver - Motor Sport Magazine". Motor Sport Magazine . Retrieved 7 January 2022.
25. "2000 Vancouver Champ Cars". Motor Sport Magazine . 3 September 2000. Retrieved 6 November 2024.
26. "2000 Vancouver Indy Lights". Motor Sport Magazine . 3 September 2000. Retrieved 4 June 2022.
27. "2004 Formula Atlantic Vancouver". 25 July 2004. Retrieved 12 July 2022.
28. "2003 Barber Dodge Pro Series - Round 8: Vancouver, 27th July - Race Results". 27 July 2003. Retrieved 6 November 2024.
29. "1998 Vancouver Indy Lights". Motor Sport Magazine . 6 September 1998. Retrieved 4 June 2022.
30. "1998 Formula Atlantic Vancouver". 5 September 1998. Retrieved 8 March 2025.
31. "1994 Vancouver Indy Lights". Motor Sport Magazine . 4 September 1994. Retrieved 4 June 2022.
32. "1994 Formula Atlantic Vancouver". 3 September 1994. Retrieved 8 March 2025.
33. "NATCC 1997 » Vancouver Street Circuit Round 15 Results Results". 30 August 1997. Retrieved 6 November 2024.
34. "1993 Vancouver Indy Lights". Motor Sport Magazine . 29 August 1993. Retrieved 4 June 2022.
35. "1993 Formula Atlantic Vancouver". 28 August 1993. Retrieved 8 March 2025.
36. "Vancouver, Molson Indy Vancouver, August 31 Aout 1990". 31 August 1990. Retrieved 6 November 2024.